


The Door

by thesolemneyed



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drabble, Gen, Magical Realism, brief mention of blood/violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28438941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesolemneyed/pseuds/thesolemneyed
Summary: Go and open the door.Even if there’s onlythe darkness ticking,even if there’s onlythe hollow wind,even ifnothingis there,go and open the door.At leastthere’ll bea draught.-The Door by Miroslav Holub
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2
Collections: Seventeen Holidays





	The Door

**Author's Note:**

> This is a submission for the 17Hols fest. I wanted to try a fic that was exactly 400 words (much harder than I thought!! ;-; )

The Door is a mystery, even to Seungcheol.

He doesn’t remember a life before he was shut away from the world. Or before the world was shut away from him.

He lives his life behind The Door - rising, cooking, washing, sleeping, as he imagines anyone would. He peruses his books. He memorises lines of poetry. He watches spiders build their beautiful homes in the corners of his own. 

When he needs to, he can always open The Door, and it will take him where he is supposed to go.

Once, that is a bustling market, somewhere hot, with spices choking the air. Arguments and proclamations fill his ears and Seungcheol is jostled merrily by the bustling crowd.

Another time, his eyelashes frost so quickly it feels akin to sudden drowsiness, his breath clouds before him, escaping upwards into the chill night.

More recently, his destination is neither cold or hot, but eerily silent in the way that feels like the peak before a fall. 

The Door leads to anywhere, everywhere. 

No matter where it opens, though, it is always the same on the other side. There is always, without fail, someone who requires something from Seungcheol.

Once, that is a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen to a lifetime of worries, a chest to cry into. He gives what advice he can, searches for small slivers of wisdom in his vacant life. 

Another time, he returns home with his knife slick with hot blood, chest tight. The Door clangs shut behind him, blocking out the shouts and cries, the fear and anger. Seungcheol’s knees shake as he crumbles to the floor, eyelashes heavy with unshed tears. 

More recently, his journey takes him far from The Door, across worlds and through dreams. He sees skies unlike any before. He tastes tongues, marvels at miracles, and kisses queens.

But, as always, when his job is done, The Door reappears ahead of him, and snaps shut behind him.

Seungcheol is safe behind The Door. He’s secure. Sealed.

Separate. 

His dreams become restless, his sleep fitful. His meals sit uneasy in his stomach and the cobwebs on the walls are no longer entrancing, but captivating. They make him feel _captive._

He’s never tried to open The Door before he was called to before. 

He paces, a wild animal steaming below his surface.

Until a noise puts an end to it.

A knock.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!  
> Come hang out with me on twitter (@thesolemneyed)


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